The Road to Wigan Pier

How does the physical landscape Orwell describes reflect the negative effects of industrialization? How do the slag heaps reflect the human misery Orwell witnesses?

Mr. and Mrs. Brooker run the lodging house where Orwell stays. They are examples of working-class people, but they are not sympathetic. What does their portrayal say about Orwell’s political beliefs?

How do the descriptions of the mine and the working conditions of the miners provide insight into the hellishness of working-class existence?

Orwell is an ardent socialist but also a critic of socialists. How does he balance his political beliefs with his practical plan for the promotion of socialism?

Tea provides cultural insight into working-class life in England. How does tea transcend class boundaries? How does it make them more distinct?

To what extent is food a means of escapism from the drudgery of working-class life?

The limited availability of housing is a key issue for Orwell. Does he portray the issue as a deliberate act of anti-working-class aggression?

Orwell describes his own historic biases against working class people. How does he slowly come to realize the nature of these biases?